Steamed Egg Cake 蒸鸡蛋糕

This is the traditional Chinese steamed egg cake that my mum and my sisters used to make during my childhood. We had it on almost every Chinese New Year. I used to disturb them when they hand whisked the eggs. As a pre-school kid, I wondered why they kept on whisking the eggs for such long period. Now I understand. :) The whisking process is very important to ensure the cake is fluffy. In our family, we don't eat steamed egg cake on its own. We normally eat it with BBQ pork aka bak kuah. :) In this way, the cake will be perfectly complemented by the saltiness of the BBQ pork. That's another precious dining experience with my family in my childhood.

As of now, it's my turn trying to make one steamed egg cake of my own. Of course, with the help of my electric mixer :) I don't have a bamboo basket either, so I replaced it with the steaming tray that came along with the rice cooker. The making process is pretty straight forward. However, patience is needed. I added some hints to each step below for sharing.

The result of the first attempt was very impressive. The cake texture is soft and fluffy with a little bit of bounciness. Taste wise, each bite is full of aroma of the egg, and the orange essence and 7-Up enhance pleasant smell to the sweet cake. Without yeast, baking soda and butter, I think this steamed egg cake can be the healthiest cake ever. Give it a try, I swear you'll love it!

Steamed Egg Cake
Yields for 9 pieces

Ingredients:

4 grade A eggs
170gm all purpose flour, sifted
130gm Castor sugar
50gm 7-Up
3 drops of orange essence (optional)

Method:

1. Line the steaming tray with baking paper and set aside.

2. Beat the eggs and Castor sugar under high speed until fluffy. Add the orange essence and continue whisking for a while.
Hint: I whisked the eggs with highest speed for about 12 minutes. At this stage, you can observed the egg is increased in volume, and the color turned light.

3. Add the sifted flour and fold them in with spatula.
Hint: Fold the flour very gently.

4. Pour in the 7-Up and mix well with spatula.

5. Using spatula, transfer the batter into line steaming tray until 90% full.
Hint: Give the tray a few good shake to remove the air trapped in the batter.

6. Steam over rapid boiling water for 15 to 20 minutes.
Hint: When it's done, remove the cover carefully to prevent water from dripping to the cake surface.